​It was early morning, and too dark to see a clock, so I don't know the time by men's counting. But it was before the rooster crowed, so maybe 3 or 4.

The fire had burned itself into a thick layer of ash, with just a few sparks left. I had always before awakened before the fire got this low, when embers still glow red from the fire alive within them.

As before, my hand reached for kindling to stoke the fire. Upon the smaller wood I placed a larger log so my sleep would be longer un-interrupted.

At the click of a lighter, the gasses gathering above the ashes burst into flame, and I could get back under warm blankets.

But there was no sleep, because thick, acrid air alerted me through my senses that something was amiss. This hadn't happened before, not this season. The beam of my flashlight caught a cloud of smoke rising in the yurt. The smoldering log bellowed smoke, filling my sleeping space with particles toxic to my lungs.

The door of the free-standing steel fireplace was shut closed and the door flap of the yurt flung open. Crisp winter air replaced the heavy, burning air in my lungs and the tent. Life-affirming breaths cleared out the deadly invasion of the smoke of a dying fire.

My head was clearing too, under the bright starry sky, and I realized that I'd tried to re-start the fire on a bed of flickering ashes, not the burning embers I was familiar with and expecting. My actions had been guided by automated habit, based on past experience, not by seeing the actual in front of me.

The primary lesson and insight I gain from this episode is to put more awareness into the actual of the moment, and act in the flow from there. That is presence. That is being with what I do, which is one of the most spiritual experiences I can have and a step towards union.

Secondary insights can be gained by looking more deeply and with a feeling for metaphors. Surely the old ways of our world are dying, like the layer of ash which sputtered its last sparks. Being present is strong medicine and preventative for both the dying world and the smoldering wood. I re-built the fire consciously, and then it burned brightly and held back the dropping cold with life-affirming warmth. The expanding warmth of one consciousness in human awareness is also needed by the dying world. I would not choose to save the systems and values of the old world, but re-create the new world consciously upon the ashes like the re-built fire.

First, I watched a video of a couple who built an earth-ship home mostly from recycled tires, bottles and cans. It is beautiful, off-the-grid, earth-friendly and 100% self-sufficient. It relates to the election, in the end.

Then, I watched Woody Harrelson talk about the power of consumers to change the ways of big business. It makes sense. How many, though, will change habits and lifestyle? It may require an awakening of unprecedented proportions.

Next, since I had never heard Donald Trump talk, I watched edited video of interviews with him over many years. It was designed to portray him favorably and demonstrate his consistency. Still, it helped me understand how people who don't want to look more deeply and see the whole picture could vote for Trump.

Then I watched a Bernie Sanders interview, which led me to video of hearings with the FBI director. Then I read an article which quotes whistleblower and former NSA contractor Edward Snowden as saying,

'We should be cautious about putting too much faith or fear into elected officials,' said Snowden. 'At the end of the day, this is just a president.'

The article goes on to say,

"... He said if people want to change the world, they should look to themselves instead of putting their hopes or fears in a single person. 'This can only be the work of the people,' Snowden said. 'If we want to have a better world we can’t hope for an Obama, and we should not fear a Donald Trump, rather we should build it ourselves.'

"The crowd erupted in applause following Snowden’s monologue.

"Snowden makes a great point, and I found his choice of words interesting.

"He says people are putting too much 'faith' in politicians. Faith. It has occurred to me on more than one occasion that people increasingly treat politics as a religion and political leaders like gods or demigods. Modern man looks to political leaders for hope and sustenance, and often blames them (in their hearts, if not in words) for their pain and misfortune.

"Would America not be a better place if people more often looked inward instead of putting their hopes and fears in some distant leader? Would we not be better people if we did so?"

The exercise of watching videos, guided by intuition, gave me a more balanced view — which can inform my actions and choices ahead. I won't engage in collective emotional reactions. Energies of anger, bitterness or sadness only feed the problem, weaken the individual and disturb the collective. To create a better world, what is called for is equanimity, perseverance, resolute will and compassion.

The Snowden article's conclusion bears repeating, 'Would America not be a better place if people more often looked inward instead of putting their hopes and fears in some distant leader? Would we not be better people if we did so?'

During the election campaign, I often passed a 'compound' with a Hummer, BMW and other vehicles in the front yard displaying Trump stickers. The Bimmer has a personalized license plate, 'Mo Moola.'

Without criticism or judgment towards Trump supporters, when people live a light footprint lifestyle such as the couple in their self-sustaining earth-ship, and are more responsible consumers as Woody advocates, there will be less concern about jobs and the economy, which helped to elect Trump without thought for other values. That will only happen, I estimate, with an awakening.

The election results reveal an aspect of America that was seething underneath. Now it is out in the open more than before. That is a positive. One scenario is that this will activate some people to counter-balance closed, rigid minds with the higher qualities of humanity. Another positive.

Michael Bartura commented on Quora, The change that is required is no longer wishful thinking. In the coming 50 years we will need to subscribe to inclusivity as a survival technique not a hippie dream. I have no doubt that within two generations, this nonsense of ‘what is your color or religion’ will be dwarfed by the reality of an interconnected world like we have never seen before. Everyone will be different shades of brown (and beautiful), and no one will care anymore. That is the world I choose to create. Trump’s win can be a catalyst in the end.

Most likely it will be the few who make the difference. As Margaret Mead said, ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.’

Various English transliterations of Chinese words will often be found to represent different and important ideas A case in point is the Chinese transliteration for the English words energy, limit, and will.

The sound of all three words in Chinese is chee.

The word for energy is often transliterated chi in books on T'ai Chi Chuan, however, the chi in T'ai Chi Chuan means limit. This kind of problem arises from the fact that as many as 400 different Chinese ideograms are pronounced with the same sound. One need only look in an English-Chinese dictionary to discover this simple fact.

Some definitions in this book may conflict with the reader's notion of what the word means. Please remember the 400-to-one ratio of ideas to sound and the problem will melt away.

When the same sound expresses more than one idea in this book, different spellings are used; the term is defined on first usage. Specifically, chi means limit, ch'i means will, and Qi, after the common practice in books on Acupuncture, means 'energy.'

T'ai Chi Chuan symbolizes the ideal transformation of body and spirit into a potent, unified existence. The first step toward T'ai Chi Kung is T'ai Chi Chuan, a discipline of body expressed through form. But even this first step has its own first step: the mind must grasp the eternal principles at the root of correct movement, the stillnesses that manifest in motion. This is the Tao. By uniting these principles with disciplined movement, Tao and T'ai Chi Kung teaches a path for the student to follow toward enlightenment....

The use of the term Kung Fu to mean 'Chinese martial arts' is one of the great errors of modern American usage in this field. In fact, Chinese martial arts are properly called 'Wu Shu' and are divided into 'inner power' and 'outer power' schools, called Nei Chia and Wu Chia, respectively. Mastery in one of these schools is either Kung Fu Nei Chia, or Kung Fu Wu Chia.

Kung means mastery or perfection. Since the T'ai Chi is the balance of Yin and Yang, then T'ai Chi Kung can mean 'the perfection of balance' or 'attunement with the Tao,' the way that the universe is supposed to unfold.

Since T'ai Chi is literally translated 'Great Limit,' in contrast to Wu Chi or the 'Empty Limit,' it refers to the Manifest Reality. It can also be translated as the 'perfection of the Manifest Reality.' These are different ways of expressing the idea of spiritual enlightenment.

This book is an attempt to reawaken the knowledge that T'ai Chi Chuan and T'ai Chi Qi Kung are major techniques of Taoist Yoga with potentials that extend beyond the physical level.

To a large degree, the practice of Hatha Yoga exercises has been divorced from he full practice of self-development (sadhana) in Indian Yoga. However, the roots, the larger spiritual framework, have not been completely forgotten. This fate of isolation from spiritual roots, however, has befallen T'ai Chi Chuan.

I am not a 'lover of tradition' who wishes to set the record straight. I am a teacher of esoteric philosophy, and as such have devoted a long time to teaching the practical application of the principles of spiritual development. This has been with the end purpose of producing recognizable transformation in my pupils, to see them evolve on the path towards spiritual Self-realization....

Tao and T'ai Chi Kung

by Robert C. Sohn

Excerpts from the Back Cover

'... While there are numerous exotic benefits of T'ai Chi Kung — such as relaxation and meditative calm, general health improvement, and the curing of insomnia, backache, and digestive disorders — the author emphasizes the meaning and method of T'ai Chi Kung as a direct vehicle for inner perfection and self-mastery.

'... Dr. Sohn delves into the more profound aspects of energy development, explaining how to use the mind to assume the correct 'inner posture,' ways to distinguish between intrinsic and extrinsic muscles, and how to become rooted (as demonstrated on the front cover illustration) in the tan tien — in the Earth, or inner Being.'

'Tao and T'ai Chi Kung does what no other book currently accomplishes: it grounds the student/practitioner in both Taoist philosophy and the practical physiology of T'ai Chi Chuan, providing the necessary link between the two.

'Skillfully guiding the reader from the most subtle philosophical landscapes to concrete anatomical realities, Sohn's style can only be described as T'ai Chi in the form of words; his transitions are unfelt and invisible, expertly conveying the emotion, intellect, movement, and spiritual principle that are the essence of T'ai Chi Kung.'

​What is Tai Chi? It is generated from Wu Chi. It is the Mother of Yin & Yang. When it Moves, it Divides. At Rest, it Reunites.

No Excess, No Deficiency.— Treatise on Tai Chi Chuan by Wang Tsung-Yueh

Excerpts from Tao and T'ai Chi Kung by Robert C. Sohn

.... in general, Taoist thought is 'transcendental' philosophy and not simple easily-grasped rules of behavior. Grasping the Taoist point of view requires the ability to evaluate conceptually and manipulate a multitude of variables leading to the unification of all ideas in the universal Tao....

The Teh, as in Tao Teh Ching, means Virtue in the ancient Greek sense of 'perfection.' So it is taught that when a man strives to be in accord with the Tao, his efforts will cause being transformation and he will eventually attain the state of human perfection or Teh. For the Teh of a man is the individual reflection of the Tao of the Universe. When a man has Teh, he is in tune with the Universal Tao. When he dies he unites with the Universe. As long as he is alive the Tao reflects in him as Teh....

... What is it to limit the plentifulness of the heart? Based on Lao Tse's comment that 'Ever desiring, one can see the manifestations,' and on the Chinese medical principle that the 'Heart harbors the human soul,' it is reasonable to assume that the plentifulness of the heart is 'desire,' and therefore we are being told to control desire. The control of desire, which is essentially the control of the personal self, or false self (ego), is the state of Virtue or perfection. Self-control leads to the Tao.

Taoism, like all profound philosophical systems, is based on the assumption that the underlying state of reality is nothing — no-thing. Therefore, the first symbol of the Taoist creative process is an empty circle. This empty circle represents Wu Chi. Wu means 'empty' or 'void'; Chi means 'limit. Thus when we have the empty limit, the final no-thing; the ultimate emptiness.

The Universe is Manifest Through Motion.

All teachings, whether scientific or philosophical, begin with the idea of an unspecified event which must have occurred so that the process of the Universe could begin. The simplest expression of this — without scientific hypotheses about energy explosions or mystical symbolism designed to evoke a sense of higher knowledge — is to say, 'In the beginning, there is movement.' As It is always in Its unmanifest state, It is ultimately quiescent; It is not moving, It is not active. The Gyana yogis analyze the nature of the Absolute by a series of questions such as, 'Is the Absolute the God Shiva?' 'Neti, neti,' they answer; 'It is not limited to that.' When you have totally negated everything, you are left with the Void, Wu Chi. That is the Absolute. - pages 4 - 6

Ever desireless, one can see the mystery.

If an aspirant of Eternal Truth has conquered his worldly nature by subduing and conquering the passion and desire of life, and has focused his being through development of body, mind and emotions, thereby coming into the state of harmony in all his centers, he has attained the state of desirelessness. Such a being can comprehend the true reality that is obscured by the world of illusion produced by the continuation of desire.

Ever desiring, one can see the manifestations.

As long as objects draw the attention, as long as man's desire is not controlled, just so long will one see the manifest material universe as opposed to its underlying real source. This is not, as many like to think, a statement about morality and right behavior. It is about dissolution of any emotional bindings to the world of man's experience and refocusing attention on the incorporeal world.

.... In sum, from within the Wu Chi, the ultimate Reality, there manifests li, ideation. From the idea, there is ch'i, the will to manifestation. From that will, there manifests Qi, existence, substance, matter, energy, form.

These three — li, ch'i and Qi — Idea, Will and Energy/matter, correspond to the Hindu trilogy of Satchitananda — Existence, Consciousness, Bliss.

Bliss and Will are the emotional nature. Consciousness is Idea, and Existence is Energy/matter. - pages 13-19​

Scenes from Sozin's Comet, Part Four: Avatar Aang

Images credit - Avatar: The Last Airbender - Nickelodeon

The true mind can weather all the lies and illusions without being lost. The true heart can touch the poison of hatred without being harmed. Since beginningless time, darkness thrives in the void, but always yields to purifying light....

In the era before the Avatar, we bent not the elements but the energy within ourselves. To bend another's energy, your own spirit must be unbendable or you will be corrupted and destroyed. - Lion Turtle

...

Emanate Presence means tending the inner landscape (the energy within ourselves) with total responsibility, honesty and accountability. Its main work is letting go of everything from the conditioned mind so the liberated mind can shine. Presence is the creation force. In the liberated mind, past and future run together to create an opportunity for creation from the zero point.

...

Undifferentiated presence, spontaneously arising before heaven and earth, still and silent, infinite, virtual, eternally present through interminable cycles.It gives birth to the Cosmos,It is impossible to name, so I call it pure boundless immensity.

- Lao Zi, Dao De Jing, #25

These columns are not meant for comparison but as an aid to distinguish between qualities. In actuality, nothing is fixed or linear. 'Liberated' is realized by letting go of conditioning and making choices to be free from within.​

Conditioned​

Identified with roles, culture, traditions, techniques, standards which suppress awakening and fulfillment and separate from each other

Conditionally giving

Controlling

In the system

Suppressed / rigid

Hateful, angry

Blaming

Habitual

Limited as set by fear

Living in past and future

Projecting

Reactive

Resisting, judging, righteous

Anxious

Wanting

Separated and dividing

Arrogant

self-centered

Lives from 'low' partial frequency

Liberated​

Identified with roles, etc. which are progressing towards the authenticity of the True Self and oneness

Unconditionally giving

Surrendered

In the flow

Fluid

Resolute

Self responsible

Mindful

Unlimited creative potential

Living in present moment

Aware

Responsive

Open, accepting and neutral

Trusting

Serving

Undifferentiated

Authentically humble

True Self -centered

Lives from 'high' whole frequency

Ask

What is?What's important?How can I bring balance?​What is True Self / Tao / O.B. saying to me?How can I give?Where is my ground?

The Healing Promise of Qi:Creating Extraordinary Wellness Through Qigong and Tai Chi ​

by Roger Jahnke

Before the Beginning

'Before we begin, it is inspiring to know that healing and empowerment in the ancient traditions that honor Qi (Chi) are rooted in nature and the cycles of the seasons; the rising and setting of the sun, moon, and stars; and fire and water in their multiple manifestations. Qi infuses all of life — humans, plants, and the transformation of the caterpillar into the butterfly.

...

'It is valuable to know in advance that this immersion into the cultivation of Qi may often seem fantastic and even paradoxical. Qi is not only energy but also the quintessential foundation of the universe. Qigong is not really just an exercise; it can become a powerful way of being. Tai Chi is much more than a martial art; it can actually be defined as a method of accessing and sustaining harmony with the universe.

...

'The One is Primal Origin, the Source — everything comes from it, is contained within it, and returns to it. However, it is not necessary — nor is it possible — to understand the One; it is mysterious and incomprehensible. In the more advanced phases of Qi cultivation the ultimate ideal is to merge with the One — to become the One....

...

'Simply stated, Yin and Yang are opposites.

'In temperature they are cool and warm or cold and hot. In texture they are smooth and rough.

'In density they are soft and hard.

'In their original form as Chinese characters, Yin describes the shaded side of a mountain — the north; Yang represents the slope that gets full sun — the south. Together they make the whole.

'Yin is absorption; Yang is radiance. Yin is gravity; Yang is levity. As you can see, Yin-Yang cannot be fully translated into English and yet its place in our quest for power and understanding is enormous.

'These secrets will reveal their meaning to you over time, through your practice of Qi Gong and Tai Chi. Your awakening to these ideas through your experience of the Qi will potentially become keys to deeper secrets.

'Embodying and experiencing Yin-Yang through your practice can trigger revelation and cause you to evolve in your relationships, your work, your quest for health, and your ability to make decisions based on a growing sense of the deep and subtle workings of the universe.'

From the book description:

'Rather than focus on a particular form of qigong, Dr. Jahnke presents concise, easy-to-follow techniques from among the more than 25 traditional and modern forms...'

Micro-Cosmic Orbit - Pathway for Qi flow within the body. It begins at the Bubbling Well Point, rises up the front of the legs to the Hui Yin, travels up the back of the spine, past the Ming Men, and Jade Pillow, circles around the top of the head to the Yin Tang and then descends to the Dan Tian and returns to the Hui Yin before descending down the back of the legs and through the heels to return into the ground.

Macro-Cosmic Orbit - The pathway connecting Heaven, Human and Earth; it travels up and down the center line of the body; the Bai Hui and Hui Yin are the gateways.

Review of The Tao of Tai Chi: The Making of a New Scienceby Bill Douglas

This book has been lauded by mind-body and Tai Chi experts around the world as: “visionary,” “magical,” “a book the world has long needed,” a book with “universal implications,” “a book you can contemplate and read again and again,” “a tectonic shifting point for the realization of love and compassion in the world,” a “wonderful book that will obviously impact the world,” “connecting art, philosophy, and science with the simple elegance of an opening flower.” Its author is a global organizer, the Founder of a global health education event celebrated annually in over 80 nations, known as World Tai Chi & Qigong Day, and World Healing Day.

You may have read books on Taoism or Taoist philosophy before that inspire and expand your mind. What makes The Tao of Tai Chi: The Making of a New Science such a stunning work and must read is that it does not just talk the talk. Its author has literally transformed the planet by following the tenets of Taoism, and shares in this book not only how it happened to him, but how it can profoundly unfold the greatness trying to bloom through you and your life – and he assures you, and builds a solid science based case that this can happen. His nearly 60 year journey of the mind and spirit, involving travels around the world and experiences that some would call miracles, and his practical globally known impact on governments and institutions worldwide, is a stunningly entertaining story, as well as a cosmic how-to book that can shift you, your life, and the world around you.

The Tao of Tai Chi: The Making of a New Science is a profound story of how one man used Tai Chi and Internal Arts as a model for following the prescriptions of the ancient Chinese seminal book on Taoism, the Tao te Ching, to not only transform his life, but to actually have a massive healing impact worldwide. Yet, it is far from one man’s story. It is a book showing how the ancient book of Chinese philosophy, the Tao te Ching, can be a guide for everyone, and how Tai Chi and Qigong mind-body sciences can not only profoundly improve one’s health, but can be powerful tools to learn how to navigate the Tao, the Way of the Universe, as described in the Tao te Ching.

This book elegantly weaves science, spirituality, and real world events that will leave you profoundly excited about the future of humanity. It offers down to earth, practical self-help tips on how Tai Chi, Qigong, and mind-body practices can improve performance, health, mental acuity, and productivity. Yet, with the turn of a page, soars into descriptions of amazing other-worldly events the author experienced that will raise the hair on your arms and fill your heart and mind with wonder and awe. And then with the turn of another page you will find a logical science based explanation of these mystical occurrences that will leave you with an electric feeling that spirituality and science are not that far apart, and that blurring of the lines may by painting a hopeful future for all of us, a future more beautiful and auspicious than you have ever dared to dream could be possible.... - Amazon Review